The relationship between the two companies goes back a long way and means that they already have an in-depth understanding of each other's products and businesses. The deal will see Hologram taking on the sales, support and consultancy of Kx's Kdb+ database and its q language in the Asia-Pacific region. Kx products may also be incorporated into Hologram's offerings in the future.

Hologram's extensive experience in array language development and applications in the finance, banking and treasury industries makes it a natural and easy fit with Kx. Hologram's business focus includes high performance, real-time transaction monitoring and data information systems. The company's principals have an established track record of working with banks, exchanges and credit unions in development and consultancy in areas such as treasury systems, anti money laundering, risk management, compliance reporting, portfolio management and trading systems. They have worked with institutions around the world including the Bank of South Australia and Société Générale, as well as the stock exchanges of Singapore, Indonesia, Istanbul and Oslo.

Janet Lustgarten, CEO of Kx Systems, comments, "We are very much looking forward to working with Hologram and extending our product reach to include Australia and New Zealand. Their thorough understanding of our language and database means that they will be able to help financial institutions in their region make full use of the benefits provided by Kx products. I'm excited about the opportunities offered by the partnership and of extending the Kx product family to the region."

Says Guy Pitman, founder and director of Hologram, "We see great potential for Kdb+ and q, particularly in the areas of real-time data analysis and high-end database engines for data intensive applications in finance, fraud, banking and other high volume transaction systems. With two offices in Australia and eyes firmly set on New Zealand and Asia we are exceptionally well positioned to build momentum and growth around Kx's products." Pitman adds, "I believe that high-end transaction processing is currently less sophisticated than it could be in Australia and New Zealand. Working with Kx will allow us to offer an exceptional service to institutions operating in this field."